The present invention relates to an electronic system for identification and recognition of an object or person. Prior to the advent of electronic identifying systems, the primary means to carry out such functions has included visual identification, signature comparison, fingerprints and the like. Following this there have been developed various cards which are inserted into slots and which have identifying characteristics to be recognized by the receiver.
More recently there have been developed systems using a small portable device which may have a credit card shape and which need not be inserted into a slot. Examples of these are U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,489, Automatic Sorting System For Articles Such As Mailbags, issued Apr. 15, 1969; U.S. Pat No. 3,752,960, Electronic Identification & Recognition System, issued Aug. 14, 1973; U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,530, Object Identifying Apparatus, issued Aug. 27, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,791, Object Identifying System, issued May 24, 1977; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,156, Reactively Decoupled Dual Channel Keying Circuit For Wide-Band Frequency Modulated Keyable Control Circuit, issued Sept. 6, 1977. Some shortcomings of the aforementioned systems include low code capacity, high radiated power requirements, the inability to penetrate opaque surfaces, and complexity and cost high enough to limit their widespread use.
It is the purpose of this invention to overcome the aforementioned objections and provide an economical device which is programmable, uses low power and is low in cost. The present invention has particular application in credit or cash checking recognition systems and the like, in which the identifier can be individually programmed in a multitude of ways, each separately distinguishable so that the system can handle a large number of accounts or identifiable objects. It is another purpose of the present invention to provide a system which can be programmed for separate identification of a very large number of signal generating identifiers, in a simple, economical and reliable manner.